A major goal of current efforts to improve life science education is to provide opportunities for students to engage in original research. The Bridge to Research in Environmental and Applied Genomics (BREAM) project is a scaffolded inquiry-based teaching and learning module that seeks to develop, implement, and assess a transformative STEM experience for first-year students through inquiry-based, relevant science experiences. The long-term goal is to develop a model for undergraduate research that provides students with early research experience in a relevant and truly meaningful social context at an urban college. In the context of a pressing local environmental issue, the restoration of Jamaica Bay in New York City, students will learn to use cutting-edge scientific tools, such as applied environmental metagenomics, to investigate ecosystem function and the restoration of urban estuaries. The project will be implemented at York College/CUNY, drawing participants from a diverse student population. This effort is ideally timed to take advantage of the newly energized relationship between CUNY, the City of New York, and other partners with the goal of understanding and restoring Jamaica Bay.
This project will bring together several research-informed practices (such as problem-based learning, authentic research experiences, and scaffolded instruction) that have been shown to be effective in STEM education with more novel elements intended to improve student motivation, confidence and expertise. Scaffolded activities will introduce students to concepts like hypothesis development, scientific literature review, and experimental design, with an overwhelming emphasis on active participation. The project will assess whether explicit scaffolding in an inquiry-based program improves learning and retention in STEM majors. Project outcomes will be rigorously assessed by external evaluators based on measured changes in scientific literacy, critical thinking skills, and communication. The BREAM module will be ultimately disseminated to educators at regional two- and four-year institutions through seminars and training workshops.
